Harassment investigation involving Jackson Township PD continues

Jackson Township officials continue to investigate the sexual harassment claims brought by a township police employee. Trustees have asked the state to investigate an allegation that Chief David Zink misused police equipment to obtain personal information of someone who was dating one of his female employees in 2007. The t...

The sexual harassment investigation that led to the suspension of Jackson Township Police Chief David Zink isn’t over.

Attorney Leslie Kuntz, who handles labor issues for the township, said Monday that Jackson officials continue to investigate claims made by a female police employee last year that date back to 2007. The allegations, which were provided verbally to officials on Nov. 28, are aimed largely at Zink and accuse him of repeated unwelcome advances and then retaliating against her when she rejected his attempts.

Zink, 49, a 26-year veteran of the department who was promoted to chief in 2010, has denied the allegations, but agreed to serve a 30-day suspension that ends Jan. 31, forgo nearly three weeks of his seven-week vacation leave and take training and counseling sessions after an out-of-county investigator determined that Zink had violated the township’s harassment policy.

FURTHER INVESTIGATION

Following the release of the investigator’s report on Dec. 18, Kuntz said the township asked the state to further investigate an allegation that claimed Zink improperly accessed a restricted law enforcement database in 2007 for personal use. The Ohio Highway Patrol oversees the statewide database, known as the Law Enforcement Automated Data System (LEADS).

“We don’t have any ability to find out any of that,” Kuntz said. “... We gave them the information we have about the alleged misuse and they will investigate it.”

The female employee has accused Zink of driving by her house and using the database to obtain her boyfriend’s personal information by looking up the license plate number of his vehicle, which had been parked in her driveway.

John F. Hill, an attorney with Buckingham, Doolittle & Burroughs in Akron who originally investigated the allegations against Zink, had tried to verify the 2007 accusation by asking the township to seek any available law enforcement records that would indicate whether Zink had accessed the database.

“I was advised that efforts were made, but it remains unclear whether such records could now be obtained,” Hill said in his report.

Zink had denied recollection of the incident, the report said.

Attorney Robert J. Tscholl, who represents Zink, said Monday the only information he has obtained about the equipment misuse allegation is what he read in the investigator’s report. He said the township has not provided him with any additional information.

OTHER CLAIMS

Beyond the claims that involve the chief, Kuntz said the township continues to review portions of the female police employee’s complaint that involve other police department employees. She declined to characterize the type of allegations made, except to describe them as smaller compared to the claims against the chief.

“The majority of the complaint is with the chief, by far,” she said.

Kuntz also declined to speculate whether the investigation could lead to additional disciplinary actions by the trustees. She had recommended that the township seek an outside investigator, but did not know whether someone had been hired.

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Trustee James Walters, who is president of the three-member board, declined comment Monday, citing potential liability concerns since the issue involves a pending personnel matter. Trustees will meet at 5 p.m. Tuesday for their regular board meeting.